Excuse me while I freak out about the weather

It is January. And it is currently 61 degrees in Santander, Spain. And I am currently having a minor terror attack that, if this weather continues, I will fully adopt the mentality of an endless Spring Break.

There are the rare weeks in February, in Steamboat, where it gets up to like 45 or 50 degrees, all the snow starts to melt, and I'll whip out a bikini and sit in the back yard. Sure, it is nice and warm and reminds you that killing yourself at the prospect of snow for the following four months isn't wise. It is usually conviniently attached to Blues Break, so you can mildly kick the mid-winter depression in the ass and ensure that you will survive until mid-June with it is finally warm enough to emerge from your house with less than four layers of clothing and a puffy coat.

Seville was, theoretically, my escape for a mental break. You know, the warm South of Spain curing my post freezing to near death in Sweden blues. Except that really, Sweden was the cause of way too much joy at seeing snow. After the near constant rain in November and December, a solid and dry form of precipitation seemed like the best Christmas present ever (after, of course, the Broncos win.) Seville blessed my mom and I with only one day of rain. I got a nice dose of vitamin D and was spoiled with ten days of delicious parent-purchased food and mother wisdom. I returned to Santander with a semi-sour attitude; it was raining and cold and I wasn't quite ready to eat excessive fried food again. God had other plans for this semester though... it took me about as long as it takes me to figure out my things are missing and automatically know that Emma is probably wearing it to know that this semester was going to be fabulous.

As I mentioned earlier, I came into study abroad with some kind of unrealistic expectations. First off, I was sure that upon arriving I would rock at Spanish, know all the people at the school, travel to lots of places for really cheap, and be fat on really great food. While portions of all of those have come true, I started this semester with no expectations. I hadn't received the list of students, so I had no preconceived judgments made about them. And Gloria walked off the bus with a bob and blonde highlights, at which point I knew right away everything was going to be different.

The first week that the new group was here consisted of completely clear and beautiful days. Save for a few days in the fall when it was warm enough to whip out a bikini, I can safely say these have been the most breathtaking days in Santander so far. Which is good, because I think making a good first impression is vital. So, thank the Lord, Santander was a bit of a show off this week. Or, I would go as far to say, it full on went for the wow and awe effect. After falling in love with Seville, this week was the re-seduction of my heart and love for Santander. Now if I could only find American football on in a bar, I would be able to say that it is my favorite city in the world. Sorry Steamboat, but crystal clear water and tanning on a Sunday afternoon in sixty degree weather with my Spanish mama just kicked you out of first place.